Don't Forget Me
by Fanfic Fish
Summary: Someone has their revenge on Lucas, he's hurt and no one can find him. Is this the end for Lucas . . . or will he be saved be the last person he ever expected? Read and Find Out!
1. Attacked, and Outnumbered

**One Tree Hill**

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Lucas could not believe how horrible his day had turned out. Nathan said they could no longer be friends, and Haley refused to come home. His mom had told him she regretted having him, and it was his fault that Andy was leaving. Not to mention, Dan was no longer going to pay for his heart medication.

It was now 11:30 p.m. Maybe Peyton would listen, and he could release some of his stress. _It wouldn't even matter __if I left now._ He turned the corner and started to walk down the alley next to the club TRICK.

That's when he got the feeling that someone was following him, he began to turn around. Before he could turn completely, he was pushed forward, sending him sprawling to the asphalt. "What the . . ." he began but a fist slammed mercilessly into his jaw, making his head snap to the side.

Lucas fell face first on the ground; his breathing was harsh and ragged, his crimson blood finding its way to the pavement. He was trying to sort out what had just happened when he was picked up by the collar. He stared into the face of his tormentor. "Felix!" he breathed. "That's right Lucas, this is payback!" Felix sneered angrily.

Lucas observed that Felix had two other people with him. "Help!" Lucas called loudly. "Help . . .!" before Lucas could finish his head was slammed into the brick wall with a sickening _CRACK_. Stars exploded in front of his vision, followed be the warmth of blood that trailed down his face. He felt himself being pulled back, but this time he managed to put his hands in front of his body to waver the impact.

Felix saw and pinned him to the wall, "I don't think so Lucas! Mat get something to hold his hands behind his back!" Felix said. One of the hooded figures walked over and hastily pulled Lucas's arms behind his back. Lucas struggled but was rewarded with an angry punch to his mid-section. Then handcuffs were placed on his wrists. Blood dripped into Lucas's eyes obscuring his vision. "Please Felix don't do this!" He begged. "Shhh! We don't want anyone hearing you now do we?" Felix said in a deadly whisper.

The beating continued. Lucas was pushed four more times into the wall until he had completely blacked out. When Lucas woke he found himself on the ground where Felix and his goons leered over him. Felix now held a metal baseball bat, and he began hitting Lucas all over his unprotected body, blow after blow, accompanied by more blood. Only semi-conscious he realized that his arm was broken, and at least 3 of his ribs, he remembered that he had heard them all snap, not to mention the hot searing pain that accompanied the injuries.

"Okay boy's lets hide him and get out of here!" Felix spoke in a deep voice. Lucas was dragged further down the alley to where a big dumpster sat up against a metal fence. The 3 men pulled the metal container forward 4 feet, and drug Lucas between the small space. The right handcuff was taken off and was latched onto the fence. Another pair of handcuffs was brought forward and were snapped onto Lucas's right hand, then free handcuff was also latched onto the fence.

Lucas was completely trapped. "Felix, how is he gonna keep quiet, I don't plan to get caught!" Mat said skittishly. "Don't worry Mat, I've got that taken care of!" Felix pulled a roll of duct tape from his hoodie pocket, ripped off a piece and slapped it over Lucas's mouth.

The third guy spoke up next, "Guy's this is a bad idea, what if he dies? What if he really needs to be taken to a hospital? What if he identifies us?" Felix turned his deadly glare towards him. "Jason calm down, he can only identify me, and no one will believe him I'm supposed to be at boot camp remember? And the garbage is picked up on Monday's, he'll only be here for 48 hours at the most, besides I'm sure someone will find him before then!" The boys laughed and left the semi-conscious teenager behind.

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Please Read and Review: Helpful Criticism is always welcome! 


	2. Worries

I know that this chapter is cruely short . . . but I had to set up the whole worry thing!

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"Deb, I'm really worried! I said some really hurtful things to Lucas, I didn't mean them, they just came out, I was angry and he was just the only one around, I'm such a horrible mother!" Karen cried into the phone. "He didn't come home last night?" she asked again. "No, he said he was going to TRICK but Payten said he never showed up, if he ran away than he didn't take anything with him! I'm beginning to think something happened to him!" "When Nathan comes home I'll talk to him, see if he knows anything!" Deb said. "Thanks Deb, please call if you hear anything!" "Bye Hun, and don't worry I'm sure Lucas is fine!"

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Please Review, I like input

Should I continue? hmmmm?


	3. Painful Realization

This is Chapter three . . . I hope you like it,

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Lucas had no idea how long he had been there, agony consumed his being. Everything hurt! It hurt to breathe, it hurt to move, and it hurt to stay conscious. He had spent the last half-hour trying to quell his nausea, because he knew if he threw up then he was going to choke on his vomit.

He could feel the warmth of his blood, that trailed down his body making his clothes stick to him. Panic tore at him once he realized he was beginning to hyperventilate, and he couldn't pull enough air through his nose.

As he became more aware, the pain got sharper and increased ten fold. Black spots danced across his vision. The nausea got worse, but he somehow managed to hold the little he had in his stomach in. When he tried to remember where he was, his vision wavered, turning everything in a spinning mass of blurry shapes.

The pain in his stomach and arm was beginning to dim. That's when Lucas realized that mercy had finally been issued, he was losing consciousness, he would finally get some rest. He leaned heavily back onto the fence and closed his eyes, praying that someone would find him.

Lucas's consciousness wavered, and then disappeared. His head hung low on his chest, he was covered in his life's blood. His last fleeting thought was that he hoped his family and friends knew he loved them, and he wished that he could see them again, even if was saying goodbye.

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Please Review . . . 


	4. Finding Out

**One Tree Hill**

Okay well here is the next Chapter . . .

Enjoy . . . (Sorry if it's short, I'm taking some readers advice and I'm trying to DETAIL it to the point of doubling the story . . . so yeah!

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_**Deb and Nathan:**_

Deb walked to the living room once she heard the door slam shut. "Nathan? Is that you?" "Yeah mom, it's me," Nathan replied, giving her a tight hug. "What are you doing here anyway?" She asked suspiciously. "What, I can't come visit my mom?" He asked, with his temper flaring. "That's not what I meant and you know it!" Deb said. She grabbed Nathan's arm as he tried to make his hasty exit.

"Look mom, I know it was a mistake coming here, I just didn't know where to go!" Nathan scrunched his eyes shut. "What's wrong Nathan?" Deb said, seeing a familiar glint of despair in Nathan's eyes.

Nathan looked down at his shoes as he spoke. "Me and Lucas . . . had an argument last night, he was getting things on Dan that could sink us all . . . I told him that we weren't brothers anymore!" He looked up when he heard Deb gasp. "Look mom I know it's bad . . . I've been trying to find him to apologize, but no one has seen him!"

"No Nathan, it's not that!" Deb spat out. "Lucas has been missing since last night, and Karen called this morning to tell me that she said some really hurtful things to him . . . she had a bad feeling that something happened. Lucas was supposed to meet Peyton at Tric last night but never showed up."

Nathan looked at his mom with wide eyes. "Why didn't you call me? I need to get everyone to help start looking . . . how many people has Karen called?" Nathan shot the words from his mouth, feeling even guiltier than he had before. At that moment an odd feeling pushed it's way into Nathan's consciousness. _Pain, so much pain._ It was then that Nathan realized he might be feeling what Lucas was feeling.

Deb watched as horror made itself known on Nathan's face. "What is it Nathan?" His color changed quickly from a light red to a pasty white. "Nathan!" Deb yelled, not understanding the connection the youngest Scott was making.

Just as quickly as the connection was made, it was lost. He tried to push the thought of his possible _connection_ to the back of his mind and his brotherly gear kicked in. "Mom, I need to find Lucas! I'm gonna go get the girls, we can get as many people as we can to help . . . you call Karen and have her call anyone she can think of . . . Lucas had to spend the night somewhere!" Nathan made his way towards the door.

And witha glance back at his mother, he smiled seeing that she had picked up the phone and was already dialing Karen.

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_**Lucas:**_

Lucas's heavy eyes opened, only to find he was still in the same place . . . handcuffed to the metal latch gate. He had been coming in and out of consciousness for what seemed like days, but he knew better, and at best it had only been a few hours.

The tape was still securely muffling his every attempt to call for help to anyone who passed the alley. No one would find him; he was too hidden for anyone to 'accidentally' stumble upon him.

His limbs had become numb a long time ago; he was still so dizzy and tired. Lifting his head up anymore was too much of a chore, so it stayed heavily upon his blood-drenched hoodie.

Sometimes he hoped that maybe his heart would stop beating, the pain was flaring up again. If only . . . he quickly brushed every new idea that he had for escaping away. The last idea had confirmed to him that he really did have a broken arm and raging fever.

At least the nausea was gone, but since that sensation was gone other ones had taken its place. One of them was in his newly broken arm; it felt as if thousands of needles were being forced into his soft skin.

Lucas had to work hard to keep his breathing under control, every now and then he would start to breathe shallowly. And if that kept up he might stop breathing for good. It was at that point that Lucas promised that he would never take water for granted again, because for the first time in his life he wanted to so badly quench his fierce thirst.

As the hours past, Lucas's fevered mind worsened, and he was beginning to take on a new type of delirium. The older Scott would think someone was calling his name, but when he finally found enough strength to open his eyes he would still be alone and broken.

_Somebody please find me! Help me!_ Lucas's mind screamed out. _I don't even care who finds me; I just want to go home!_

Anger shot through Lucas when he replayed the past days events in his mind. _I bet no one even knows I'm gone, even if they did they're probably all celebrating! _Lucas kept reminding himself.

The sun still beat heavily down upon him, making his temperature increase. But as Lucas feverishly talked to himself he didn't even realize that someone was standing over him.

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Should I continue? hmmmmm . . . . 


	5. Losing Control

Okay, well here is the next Chapter . . . I hope you enjoy

Enjoy . . .

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Nathan had looked everywhere, and nothing, absolutely nothing. And now they had over 100 people searching for Lucas, it turns out that he had more friends than he could have ever imagined. Young kids were looking for him, so where older citizens.

The first group assembled of course was Nathan, Peyton, Brooke, Mouth, Jack, Deb, and Karen. But as the news got around many flocked to the streets in a community effort.

Everyone had searched for hours, and nothing had come up. Not even an article of clothing. Lucas had been gone for over 42 hours, and the police had told them at least a dozen times that he probably ran away.

Nathan refused to believe that, Lucas just wouldn't up and leave. Even if things were bad, he would talk them out with someone that's just the kind of person he is.

He called Haley for the first time in a long time. Once he told what was going on, she told him she was catching the first plane home.

They needed to find Lucas, he knew something was wrong. He could feel it, and it made him even more frustrated at himself for saying the things had. _Please let me find him!_

The girls were extremely worried about Nathan, he hadn't slept since he found out Lucas was missing. They knew if he didn't get some sleep soon, he was going to collapse, and then he wouldn't be use to anyone.

"Hey sweetie," Deb greeted her exhausted son. Quite frankly her son was scaring her more than he could ever imagine. His face was pasty white from lack of food and sleep.

He looked up from the map of One Tree Hill and gave his mother half a smile. "Hey mom." Nathan didn't need this right now, he need to concentrate. "Look I need to concentrate, the police told me that if there was a chance he was abducted, that the first 48 hours are the most critical.

Deb had no idea how to reply the only thing she knew that Nathan was making himself sick. "Nathan, there are at least a hundred people looking of Lucas . . . even your father is out looking for him!" She looked into his eyes, wincing at the exhaustion that was so clear. "Your going to be no help to him if you pass out, you need to rest, ya know, take a breather!"

Nathan knew she was right, he was just so worried. Lucas had to be hurt, emotionally and physically.

"Hey Nathan, we've checked everywhere and still nothing, where should we look now?" Peyton asked stepping into the Diner. She remembered perfectly how frantic Karen had sounded on the phone. Lucas was suppose to meet her and he never showed up. So she was the first to make calls to everyone in 6 miles distance.

"Um, we're going to do a second search of everything, ya know just incase," Nathan spoke tiredly.

"Look Nathan, I think you should take a break, you don't look so good!" Peyton tried to reason.

Nathan jumped angrily to his feet startling Peyton; the anger on his face was apparent. "Lucas could be out there hurt, I need to find him Peyton!"

Peyton's heart jumped into her throat when tears streamed down Nathan's face. She quickly embraced him, and he leaned heavily onto her. That's when she realized he had just passed out.

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Felix stared happily down at Lucas. The older Scott was sweating heavily, making dry blood drip down into his eyes. He mumbled feverish nonsense through the tape.

Lots of people were looking for Lucas; it was only a miracle that no one had found boy wonder yet. But as long as he could keep the lie up, he would.

The night he had attacked Lucas with his friends was still fresh in his mind. He had to throw away his favorite hoodie; Lucas's blood was spattered all over it.

Felix had lied tohis friendsthat had come with him that night, he had said that he garbage was going to be picked up in 48 hours "No worries" he had repeated over and over. But he knew better, the garbage wasn't coming until Friday and it was only Tuesday. If nobody found him until then, than his plan had worked.

Felix was broke from his thoughts when he felt eyes staring at him. He looked down to see Lucas staring at him, only it seemed like Lucas didn't even know he was there.

He smiled to himself, Lucas looked horrible. The basketball player, the hero, needed saving. Felix knew Lucas had lost a lot of blood, on top of broken limbs, but he felt no remorse. Lucas deserved it, he had thought reasonably. He had taken Brooke from him; he had ruined everything from him.

Felix lifted his leg and slammed down onto Lucas's chest, making the Scott muffle a scream. "Any day now Lucas, someone will come and save you," Felix assured him.

Felix walked down the alley, he'd go find Brooke and try to comfort her. He turned around once more to make sure Lucas couldn't be seen. Nope, Lucas was perfectly hidden.

His smile grew again, and he began his journey to the Diner.

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Should I continue? hmmmm . . . 


	6. Hopeless

Okay well, it may be short . . . but I update more than a lot of Authors!

_**And I would like to thank everyone for they're kindreviews!**_

Enjoy . . .****

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**_Nathan and Deb:_**

It was warm. That was the first thing that registered in Nathan's mind. His head hurt horribly, and he felt as if he had spent the last few hours throwing up. It took him a few minutes to get his bearings enough for him to get the strength to open his eyes.

The room was white; annoying beeping sounds surrounded him. Looking to his left he saw a familiar blond, "Mom?" his voice was barely above a whisper. He watched as his mothers' head shot up, and her eyes blinked sleepily.

"Nathan! Thank goodness, you had us all worried sick!" Deb took Nathan's hand in hers and squeezed lightly.

"Where am I?" He barely recognized his hoarse voice.

Deb smiled softly and answered her son, "Your in the hospital . . . you passed out on us in Karen's Diner, you almost gave me a heart attack!" She looked down at her lap as she continued. "You were rushed here, the doctor said that you were experiencing sleep deprivation, on top of de-hydration!"

Nathan closed his eyes and tried to clear his fuzzy mind. _Lucas!_ "Mom, did anyone find Lucas?" Nathan knew the answer to that question before his mom even gave the answer, the story was plainly written across her face.

Lucas was still missing!

"No hun, Lucas is still missing. Don't worry, lots of good people are looking for him." Deb tried to tell what he son was feeling, but his face was impassive. Nathan was in shock, and it killed her to see her only son like this.

Nathan struggled into a sitting position. _I have to get out of here! _He repeated in his mind over and over. "Mom I have to find Lucas!"

Deb watched in shock as Nathan threw his legs over the side of the bed. "Nathan lay back down this instant, you are in no condition to be walking around, let alone searching the entire town!"

It was hard for Nathan to stand up, his legs felt like Jell-O, but he knew what had to be done. His brother needed to be found, and he couldn't do that sitting down.

"Mom, I don't have time for you're crappy reasoning skills!" Nathan blared angrily, searching for his clothing.

A gasp escaped Deb, she knew she son was desperate, but if he didn't calm down and take a break, she was sure he was going to have a breakdown.

"Nathan!" Deb shouted. She was surprised when her only son stopped quickly and turned around to face her. "You need to sit down! There is NOTHING you can do right now! Peyton, Brooke, and Karen are looking for him with everyone else, it's covered, and you need to rest!"

Defeat shone clearly on Nathan's face. His feet dragged him back to the distasteful hospital bed, and with one last glare at his mother he slumped heavily down onto the hard mattress.

Deb embraced Nathan, holding him as he finally broke down. She spoke soothing words to him, silently praying that everything would work out. That Lucas would be fine, and that her son would let nature run its course through his tortured body.

It only took ten minutes for her baby boy to fall asleep in her arms. She realized something about him that day, no matter how old her son got, he would still be her baby boy.

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**_Brooke:_**

Brooke had searched for Lucas for over 15 hours straight. He heart wrenched when she was told the first time that he was missing.

The call had been made before she got on the plane to California. Lucas had professed his love to her and she had rejected him. If she could take it back, she would do it in a heartbeat.

Many tears had been lost over this situation. Karen had turned to jelly in her arms when the police had told her that her son had probably ran away.

Brooke had her suspicions about why Karen had acted so angry. She thought Karen knew better, that Lucas had not ran away, that something had happened. That guess had scared her beyond any words could ever describe.

She had remembered when Lucas was in that car accident, the blond boy had been comatose. He had almost passed over into the world of the shadows, she realized she would have lost something that would have left a huge hole in her heart.

"Brooke!" a voice boomed behind her. She quickly pulled the sleeve to her eyes and wiped away the tears. When she turned around, she was shocked to see who was there.

"Felix?" She asked with hint of bitterness in her voice.

He didn't catch her unpleasantness. His pace was quick, and he caught up to her pulling her into a tight embrace.

"What are you doing here Felix?" Brooke asked, unwilling to believe he had changed. "I thought you were in boot camp."

Felix's jaw tightened. "My mom called me and told me that Lucas was missing, they let me come home to help look for him!"

Brooke's eyes softened a little at that. "Thanks Felix, we need all the help we can get!" And with that, Brooke grabbed Felix's arm and pulled him into the Diner. _Maybe with his help we could really find him! _The thought passed through Brooke's mind.

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Must you wait for another Chapter? But not for long . . . I promise!


	7. Found

Here is the Next Chapter

Enjoy . . .

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It was dark now, the sun wasn't beating so hard in his mind.

Lucas had gained some amount of awareness when the sun had settled.

Flashes of his childhood had kept his mind occupied through this endeavor. He missed everything. It had only been a couple days, he had guessed and now he was wrenching to see his mom again.

His heart was sad though, had his mom really regretted him being born? It had to be true, why would she tell him that if it wasn't true?

Nathan had been a pleasant surprise when they had made each other better. Only brothers would understand what that meant, only someone with that connection could ever feel a hint of that connection.

Dan wasn't so bad, yeah he would suck your life force until you were one of his shriveled up gophers, but he had tried. He had to give Dan that, the man had been cruel and horrible but he use to care.

Peyton was great, she listened without question. She was there when he needed to vent, she's actually give you advice it was the way she was. Her blond curls had driven him crazy, he wanted to so badly tug on them. He knew it was an odd fantasy but it was how he felt.

Brooke was something else. He had taken her for granted, and he'd have to live with that for the rest of his life. Which wouldn't be long if things were going to turn out the way he guessed they would.

Haley had been his guardian angel throughout the years; she had tried to protect him even though he was too stubborn to apply anything she said to his life. He regretted that now though.

He wanted his mother, he was strong willed but the pain he was facing scared him beyond anything he had ever had the unluckiness of experiencing.

His tears had dried up a long time ago; he had no strength left to struggle. Giving up was the only peace he had; it was the only alternative, the only way out.

Everyone thought he was heartless, he knew it, and he had learned to deal with it a long time ago.

One of his sons was missing, and he was searching for him. People had given him 'looks' and he didn't care.

Yes Lucas had betrayed him, but he was his son. Lucas was his flesh and blood, and as much as he had denied it . . . he loved him.

He had contacted a search and rescue team last night, they weren't going to be there until tomorrow morning.

That had left him flustered, he had money. He could pay them almost any asking price, but that wouldn't get them here any faster.

So he did the only reasonable thing he could. In his suit and tie, he searched for the missing boy.

He had come to the alley, maybe Karen was there and she could tell him if they knew anything new. Grasping the door handle he pulled the door open with little effort.

_Clink!_

What was that? No one was back here. Of all those years playing hide and go seek with Nathan, his curiosity had gotten the best of him. The sound had come from behind of that huge, ugly smelling Dumpster.

He knew that it would likely be a raccoon or something of the sort, but he had to make sure.

Dan froze in horror. "Lucas!" He had tried to scream, but had come out in a whisper.

The teen was covered in blood, so much of it. How could anyone sustain that much blood loss and live?

Lucas's head rested heavily on his once gray hoodie. Gashes and bruises decorated his face and arms, he wasn't moving. Dan couldn't even tell if his oldest son was even breathing.

Dan reached to Lucas's face and ripped the tape off. Lucas's lips were a dark azure.

A feeling of deep dread filled Dan, Lucas really wasn't breathing!

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Continue? Hmmmmm?


	8. Lost

Here is the next Chapter,

Enjoy . . .

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_"Doing an injury puts you below your enemy; _ _Revenging one makes you but even with him; _ _Forgiving it sets you above him." _ _-Benjamin Franklin_

Was this what it felt like to die? Or was Lucas's spirit doomed to roam restlessly through the unconscious plains.

He didn't like to dwell on the past, but it seemed that whenever a problem reared its ugly head, the past would come back to kick him in the ass.

That's exactly what had gotten him here. Felix. He really hated that guy, now there was a bitter moron. What had Brooke ever seen in him, sure he acted all macho, but when it came down to it, the guy was absolutely brainless.

And it was weird, after he had lost consciousness the last time his mind had cleared completely. He was free to think without feverish improbabilities clouding his judgement.

White mist consumed him, and he walked aimlessly, dwelling on his thoughts.

His mother had shunned him for things he had no control over, it didn't bother him as much anymore though, he knew in his heart his mom didn't mean it. It just hurt when she said the things she did.

He loved his friends more than words could describe.

If he had to leave the world the way he thought he was going, he knew that his friends and family would be devastated.

But he had no alternative, nothing to fall back on. He had no idea had to save himself, no idea how to bring himself back.

Dan worked frantically. He couldn't lay Lucas flat on his back, Lucas's arms were held securely to the metal fence with steel handcuffs.

He clambered to his feet; maybe he could find some pruning shears in the club. Throwing open the door to the teen nightclub he ran with speed and agility that he thought he had lost in his teen years.

He looked around trying to find someone that might possibly be able to help him; he was frustrated to find the club absolutely deserted.

That couldn't faze him now, he needed to find the janitors closet.

"Finally!" he spoke bitterly.

Jiggling the door handle, Dan found the door was locked. He balled his fist and slammed through the glass window. It stung and hurt like hell, but that didn't stop his frantic search.

He reached his hand inside the door and turned the knob from inside. To his relief the door opened.

Mops, brooms, a vacuum, and boxes of crap . . . Pruning shears.

Dan ignored the blood dripping from his hand, and he darted outside.

Lucas hadn't moved, his body still hung limply.

The metal handcuff's were cut and discarded quickly.

Dan laid Lucas down flat on the ground; he tilted Lucas's head back and breathed into his body. Lucas's chest moved up and down with the force, but did nothing more.

Dan started compressions. 1 . . .2 . . .3 . . . 4 . . .5.

"Come on Lucas, fight for me!" Dan coached; he couldn't let Lucas give up.

Lucas was the only person that had actually managed to chip some ice off of his ice-cold heart.

"Dan is that you?" A woman's voice answered behind him.

"Karen, I found Lucas! Go call 911."

Karen was now running towards Dan. "Oh my God, Lucas!"

"Karen, go call 911! Lucas doesn't have time for you to just stand there!" Dan blared, trying to snap her out of shocked state.

Karen nodded, and with her mouth still open in shock, she turned and ran into the club.

Dan continued compressions for five minutes, when finally a horrible gurgling sound answered him.

Lucas was rolled over when gout of bile shot from his mouth.

"That's it son, spit it out." Dan coached.

Dan waited aimlessly for some ounce of his normal color to come back to his face and lips. But Lucas's body parts remained the same sickly color.

"How is he?"

Dan looked up to see Karen hovering over them.

"He wasn't breathing, but he held on. He needs to get to a hospital, I think he might have some eternal bleeding, his arm his definitely shattered. Maybe some of his ribs are fractured." Dan informed her.

She kneeled next to her son, a part of her wanted to pull him up in her arms and hold him. Someone had hurt her baby, her only son.

A light hand on her shoulder pulled her from her reverie.

"Excuse me ma'am, we'll take over," It was a EMT, he looked so young, not even old enough to have graduate from high school.

Dan pulled Karen to her feet and held her in a tight embrace. "He's gonna be okay."

Karen had to believe it, how could she possibly go on without her pride and joy.

"Go on Karen, you go with Lucas, and I'll go get everyone."

She was to pained to answer him, she only nodded and let the EMT guide her behind the stretcher and into the ambulance.

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TBC . . . 


	9. Wishful Thinking

I am soooo sorry, I like havn't updated in like two weeks!

My apoligies, seriously! Although it wasn't my fault, but I can't exactly name the people who's fault it is.

But here it the next Chapter!

Enjoy . . .

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Dan had a job to do, he had to contact everyone and tell everyone that Lucas had been found. His hand balled into a fist when he thought about how horrible Lucas had looked when he had found him.

Who would do something like that to a kid? Especially someone like Lucas, the boy wonder that was probably one of the only decent teenager out in the world at this day and age.

His son could die, that thought stopped the senior Scott in his tracks. It took all of the control that Dan had to keep himself from ramming his fist into the brick wall.

"Excuse me sir," the voice sounded from behind him.

Dan spun around to find a man, well he couldn't possibly be classified as a man, the 'man' looked barely old enough to be out of high school. He was dressed in a clad uniform, a police officers uniform.

"Look, I know you have questions but I have to go tell my son's . . . Lucas's friends that he's been found!" Dan stressed.

The officer nodded, and replied, "Sir, I understand but one of our officers is contacting them as we speak. I need a statement from you, and as soon as I get it from you, then I'll escort you to the hospital then you can check on Mr. Scott, okay?"

Dan knew that if he argued, he would end up spending the night in jail and no way to know if Lucas was okay. He relented and agreed he told the officer his account of what had happened when he found Lucas to the time the ambulance had come.

Karen fell apart, that's the only way she could manage to look at her son as they drove to the hospital. Her son looked like something out of the movie 'Living Dead' Blood covered the teen from head to toe.

She had watched as his blood soaked hoodie was cut away. She marveled at how quickly the medics worked and they're precision was like a sweet mantra, only today, they're mantra was working to save her sons' life.

She knew things were getting worse when one of the medic's cursed softly when dark bruises glared back at them from Lucas's stomach.

"He may have internal bleeding," a woman medic informed her.

Karen's stomach wrenched as if she were on a tilt-a-whirl. Internal bleeding meant that Lucas could die suddenly, and without warning.

The painful memories of what she had said to Lucas came flooding back to her in a whirlwind. She remembered every word as if she had practiced it over an over again. Eventually those words would fade, but the look on her son's face when she called him those things would forever stay a part of her, of who she is.

Karen was snapped back into the real world when she felt an insistent force shaking her by her shoulders. "Wha . . .?" she asked, dazed.

"Excuse me ma'am, are you okay?" The medic asked as he shone his bright penlight into her eyes. He had been watching her, making sure that she didn't lose it like other parents had done in her same situation. He saw her face turn from one of sullen, to horror, then shock.

She was beginning to show signs of shock. That realization wasn't one that surprised the young medic. Her son was barely hanging on to the threads of life, and the medic knew that the boys' mother could sense it too. It was a mothers' instinct.

"I'm fine," Karen assured. "I must have zoned out for a minute. Is there any change?"

The medic looked down at Lucas; the kid had clearly been put through hell. And as much as he could tell, it wasn't likely that the kid would live to see the next day.

The teenager was showing signs of massive internal bleeding, and on top of that, he looked like he might have possible hemorrhaging in the brain. The young man was also sporting one hell of a case of pneumonia. That alone could kill him, and with everything else combined it looked as if he might be succumbing to his mortality.

"He's getting worse ma'am, but we're working as quickly and hard as we can to get him stabilized," the medic informed the terrified mother.

Karen nodded; it was the only thing she could bring herself to do without falling apart, or possibly passing out.

She wanted to so badly brush the hair from his forehead, to take that ugly mask from his expressionless face. She wanted to use her motherly powers to save her only son. If she were to lose him, she would fall apart and become everything she had come to disdain in the world today.

And for the first time in a long time, she was wishing that Keith was right beside her holding her hand and telling her that Lucas would pull through.

"He's in Asystole!" One of the medic's screeched.

Karen's eyes opened wide, her baby was flat-lining.

* * *

TBC, and thank you to everyone who read and/orreviewed, I appreciate them! 


	10. Many Memories

Here is the Next Chapter!

Enjoy . . .

* * *

"Nathan, your dad is on the phone for you," Deb said as she placed the phone on the counter of Karen's café. Dan refused to tell her why he needed to speak to Nathan; all she knew was that Dan sounded frantic. Maybe with any luck, Dan's auto-shop burnt down.

Nathan spun around and stared at his mother, his eyebrows arched in curiosity. "Mom, can't you see that I'm a little busy?" Nathan had no time to listen to his father spew off answers to last nights' Laker game.

Only when Deb gave Nathan a warning glance did he let out an exasperated sigh. He shuffled to the counter and picked up the phone. "Dad, I'm kind of busy some people think they may have seen Lucas and . . ."

"Nathan shut up," Dan interrupted. "We found Lucas,"

Nathan couldn't find the strength to speak; he was shocked into silence. He wanted so badly to just crumble right there. After regaining some amount of composure, he spoke. "Is he okay? Where did you find him?"

"When I found him, he wasn't breathing. Someone really did a number on him; it looks like someone mugged him. He was handcuffed to the chain link fence in the alley beside TRIC, I couldn't see him at first because he was hidden behind one of those damn dumpsters." Dan looked over to see the officer staring at him.

Nathan felt sick, he had gotten out of the hospital only a few hours ago and this new could definitely put him back. "Is he . . . alive?" Nathan croaked out of his unusually dry throat.

"I started CPR and got him breathing again, Karen found us and she called the paramedics, she and Lucas should almost be at the hospital." Dan stopped when he heard a deep sigh of relief. "It's okay son, I'm sure he'll make it."

When Nathan didn't answer him, Dan got worried. "Nathan, are you there?" still no answer. "Nathan!"

"I'm here dad," Nathan whispered into the phone. The younger Scott rubbed his left temple with his free hand. Something in his dad's voice told him that Lucas was a lot worse than he had let on.

"An officer is escorting me to the hospital, so I'll meet you there, okay?"

"Yeah, I'll tell everyone and we'll be there soon," Nathan answered, feeling his knees getting weaker. You'd think that after almost sixteen years of basketball he'd be able to control his legs, but at the present time he was finding it very difficult.

After they said they're good-bye's Nathan rushed off to find Peyton, Brooke, Mouth, Jake, and finally his mother. He told them what he had just barely found out, and they raced off hoping that they're friend was okay.

Karen's world came tumbling down in that instant. She watched as the paramedics worked frantically to save Lucas. His lips were growing an increasing shade of blue, as was his face. "Come on baby stay with me," Karen pleaded.

Red tinged bile spewed again from Lucas's mouth, as one of the paramedic's started compressions. "Be careful Mack, we just confirmed that the kid has internal bleeding," The man nodded but continued, except this time he worked with agility and precision.

The time seemed to drag on, and the fight for Lucas's life got even more frantic.

Karen remembered back to when Lucas was eight; he had been riding his bike down Willshire lane. The little boy was so keen on showing off for Haley, only this time he had decided that it could be more exciting to ride the bike off of Haley's parent's house. The boy had thought that he would land safely to the ground. He was wrong.

Lucas didn't believe in helmets, and this trick was no exception. Haley had peeved him on, telling him that there was no way he could execute the jump. So like any other eight-year-old trying to empress a girl, he had carried his bike to the roof.

Haley had a bad feeling about this, but Lucas wouldn't listen to her. She didn't mean to make him angry, but she had, and now he was on the roof preparing to jump off with his new bike. "Your gonna get hurt Lucas! Please come down!" She pleaded in her squeaky voice.

The boy rolled his eyes and thought girls were so annoying. He was going to be fine, sure it was the first time he had ever jumped from a height that long but he had to start sometime.

The bike flew high, and in mid air Lucas lost his grip. The bike turned one way and he turned another. The last thing Lucas heard as he plummeted to the ground was Haley's terrified scream. After the hard contact to the ground he knew no more.

Haley was in shock; Lucas was face down on the ground he wasn't even slightly moving. She remembered clearly the sounds of Lucas's body smacking into the ground. _SNAP!_ When she kneeled down beside him she realized that there was a growing pool of blood surrounding his head. She needed to find help, but her parents had gone to the store, they promised they would only be a few minutes.

She turned her unconscious friend over, but gasped in horror when she saw Lucas's face. He was covered in gashes and scrapes; his arm was bent at a weird angle. After realizing that she couldn't do anything, she broke down and began to cry.

Karen snapped out of her memory when a hand tapped lightly on her shoulder. "We got him back Mrs. Rowe." Karen sighed loudly and brushed the hair from Lucas's brow.

Karen had been sitting silently at home reading the newspaper when she got the call. "Karen? It's Haley's mother, I have some news, Lucas was showing Haley a trick and he decided to get on the roof, he didn't make the landing . . . he got hurt."

"Mrs. Rowe? We're here," the lady told her. Karen looked up to see the brightly lit hospital lights.

* * *

TBC . . . 


	11. The Drive

I am sooo sorry, it took me so long to update! But I'm back! It wont take me so long to update next time, I promise!

Here is the next chapter! Enjoy . . .

* * *

Deb gripped the steering wheel tightly; she didn't know what to expect. Peyton, Brooke, and Haley were all crying in the backseat. Nathan was yelling into his cell-phone, trying to get some answers on Lucas's condition. Things had gotten worse when Nathan had just found out that Lucas was just barely being brought in, and that the situation was looking really bad.

Nathan had closed his cell phone and threw it out the window. The outburst had silenced everyone in the car, shocking them from the sudden outburst. Nathan then rubbed his temples and moaned unhappily. "This is all my fault," he mumbled.

It was Nathan's turn next to be shocked. Deb slammed on the breaks, making everyone sling forward from the sudden halt. "Nathan Scott! This is not your fault, so I suggest that you backtrack your last statement before I make you walk the rest of the way!" Deb blared angrily at the teen.

It was hard to keep his mouth from falling open; Nathan had almost never seen his mother like this before, unless she was speaking with his father. She was almost scary, but that didn't matter right now. He was a mass of emotions that could not be messed with unless the person came equipped with a thirty-foot pole.

Before he knew it, tears were streaming steadily down his face. Everything had just come crashing down on his shoulders, and he felt as if he were drowning.

The irony of his mother's words kept him feeling worse, 'backtrack your last statement'. He wanted to so badly go back in time and take back every nasty word he had told Lucas. His rough exterior of an attitude had been broken through when Lucas had joined the basketball team. He had really become a brother, not just another screwed up relative, and he had ruined it for both of them.

Deb instantly felt like the worst mother in the world when she saw sad tears drip steadily down her son's face. She put her hand and his shoulder and spoke quietly, "Nathan, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that, I know that you're worried . . ."

Nathan interrupted her by saying, "It's not that mom, I just . . ." his words trailed off, as he was at a loss for words. "Let's just get to the hospital," he whispered.

Deb nodded strongly, and pulled back onto the road. This time she couldn't offer the assurance that a mother should, this time she was just as helpless as the day Nathan's first pet had died.

_Flashback:_

Deb was lying in her bed, cuddling with her husband who was nestled up against her. They had had a long night, she was working hard to find a job and find a full time nana for her four-year-old son. Dan was working hard to pay the bills at his new law-firm, and he wasn't around too much.

Deb was giggling like a schoolgirl when Dan started tickling her stomach. "Dan stop, please . . ." the giggling continued. She had gotten her revenge though when she found Dan's soft spot between his neck, he had stopped immediately and begged her to stop.

Their mischief was brought to a halt when they're bedroom door creaked open to reveal a small dark haired boy in fire-truck pajamas. He was wiping furiously at his eyes, Deb had realized that he was wiping away tears.

She rolled over onto her back, then sat up. "What wrong hunny?" She lifted the small child onto her lap. And watched as he breathed in deeply, getting ready to give her and explanation.

"Mommy, Puffy died! I went to feed him this morning and he was floating upside down. He wasn't moving!" The boy cried openly, pushing his face into his mother's stomach.

Deb was speechless; Nathan had never really understood death and now he had to stare it in the face. "It's okay hunny, it's gonna be okay, I promise."

Dan had done what he always did when there was a problem like this. He had bought Nathan a new goldfish. But Nathan didn't like it as much as he did Puffy.

"Mom, we're here," Nathan told her.

* * *

TBC . . .


	12. Waiting

I'm baaack! Sorry its taken so long for this, but don't worry I haven't forgotten and I will be updating again regularly!

Thank you all for your freakin' awesome reviews, and hopefully this chapter will suffice!

Enjoy:

* * *

Nathan was quick to jump from the car. He sprinted to the hospital doors, aware that the group was following closely behind him.

The teenager entered the doors, dodging a few innocent patrons leaving the place that was supposedly able to fix most of human ailments. It was a freaking hospital, where people were supposed to make everything better, and the young man could only hope that Lucas would be saved.

Nathan walked up to the nurse's desk and leaned forward, getting the attention of the young nurse behind it. "… My brother was brought here, Lucas Scott. I need to know how he is," Nathan heaved as he tried to catch his breath.

The woman nodded, smiling at him until she realized he was glaring back. "Scott… Scott… Scott," the woman mumbled as she looked through her computer database. She frowned at the screen, got up from her seat and found a couple of clipboards. "It looks like he was taken up for surgery hun, other than that I have no other news for you."

Nathan gaped at the woman. "You've got to be kidding me!" He clenched his teeth and shook his head angrily. "What good are you!" he shouted at the woman.

"Nathan…?"

The teenager quickly turned his head to see Karen Rowe frowning at him through tears. "Come here," she commanded softly.

The young man walked over and breathed a sigh of relief when she pulled him into a hug. "It's going to be okay. Lucas is strong and he knows that we need him."

Nathan laughed harshly. "You couldn't imagine the things I said to him the night he…"

Karen gave him a pained smile before saying, "I bet I could. I said some pretty bad things to him too."

"We're quite the pair aren't we?"

Karen nodded, and then realized that Lucas's entire group of friends stood behind the boy. "Hey everyone," she whispered, grateful for the support.

"Mrs. Rowe," Brooke began. The girl stepped forward and hugged the older woman tightly. "I'm so sorry…"

Karen shook her head softly. "This is just as much my pain as it is all of yours," Karen acknowledged. These people were feeling the same things she was. She knew they felt worry, sadness, anger, and a whole bunch of other things.

"How could this have happened?" Nathan asked. "How did dad even find him?"

Karen cringed at the memory. "Dan was going to search TRIC… Lucas was chained to the fence like a…," Karen couldn't finish the words and whimpered.

"Do you know who did this to him?" Peyton asked softly. The girl was relieved that Lucas had been found, but very disgusted towards the sick person or people who had done such a cruel act to her friend.

Karen shook her head, she wished she knew who did it so she could make them pay dearly, but she had absolutely no idea. "I'm not even sure there are cameras _in _TRIC, let alone in the alley beside it…"

"Karen Rowe?"

The worried mother spun around, almost expecting there to be a man in a white lab coat. But the man before her was no doctor… it was two police officers. "That's me," she confirmed and stepped forward to shake their hands.

The man reached out and took her hand, and shook it in a greeting. "We're here about your son ma'am."

Karen bobbed her head up and down to show she understood.

"I'm Officer Daniels." The officer flashed an apologetic smile before pulling her to the side and out of the group's ear shot. "Do you know if your son has any enemies that would have wanted to cause him harm?"

Karen fought not to let her mouth drop open in shock. "No, of course not. He's liked well for being such a defender… he's a sweet boy," Karen explained.

The officer nodded. "We figured that seeing as there were so many volunteers in searching for him."

Karen agreed and set her lips in a thin line. She glanced back at the teenagers and her eyes locked with Nathan's, they were so full of guilt and she knew that her eyes were mirroring the same thing. What kind of mother would say such words to her baby boy?

"A team is currently searching the site your sound was found at. There weren't any security cameras back there so we're seeing if we can get any useful video from the traffic lights across the street from the alley," Officer Daniels informed her.

"Thank you Officer."

The man smiled. "Your husband will be here momentarily."

Karen frowned. "Oh, I'm not married…"

"Ah… oh, I'm sorry, I just assumed that you and Dan Scott were… well he said that he was Lucas's father…" the officer spoke, feeling embarrassed for mentioning it.

"He is, we're just not married. His wife is over there," Karen pointed to Deb who was busy biting her nails nervously.

"I hope your son comes out of this alright. If this kind of stuff happens in Tree Hill, I can only imagine how bad it is everywhere else," the officer noted with a bit of bitterness in his voice.

"I couldn't agree with you more," Karen whispered.

"I'll update you regularly ma'am," the officer promised and left with his partner.

"What'd they say?" Nathan asked anxiously.

Karen frowned. "They know as much as we do, but they're doing all they can for us now. All we can do is wait and hope that Lucas will pull through and tell us who did this to him…"

"If he comes out of this…" Nathan muttered.

Karen's hand struck Nathan's cheek before she could catch herself. "Don't say that Nathan… I can't hear that, not now."

Nathan shook his head, whispering an apology. "I'm so sorry Karen."

The woman took him in another hug. "He's got to be okay… he just has to…"

* * *

The group waited for hours, each taking turns to sleep, eat, and yell at the nurse when she didn't have any more information about Lucas's condition.

Peyton and Brooke played cards, trying to staunch the flow of worry, and boredom that emanated from everyone.

Brooke would speak randomly, her nerves dominating her speech. "It's taking so long, that's a good thing right?"

Peyton looked up and shrugged. "I don't know… we waited a long time for my mom and look how that turned out."

Brooke rolled her eyes in anxiety. "Way to be optimistic Peyton."

"Sorry," she muttered.

While the girls bantered between each other, the grown ups had their bout of conversations.

Deb laughed as she finished her story of when Nathan flushed his plastic duck down the toilet when he was three. Karen laughed too and allowed some of the anxiety lift from her shoulders.

"You know, when Lucas was five we visited this hospital wing, bringing some of the patients and their families care packages. He'd just learned about marriage from kindergarten and decided that he should make the leap for it."

Deb raised an eyebrow and listened intently.

"He bought one of those twenty-five cent rings from the machines and walked up to this woman who had to be in her early twenties and was reading the newspaper. He just kind of stood there until she sensed him, and when she did he held out his hand and dropped the container into her lap."

Deb laughed at the thought of Lucas's innocence.

"Her mouth kind of fell open, but he just smiled, got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. I remember the whole waiting room was laughing… and the woman accepted the gracious offer. Now you have to remember that Lucas had no idea which finger the ring was supposed to go on, so he slid it on the middle finger of her right hand."

"That's so sweet…" Deb laughed, and wiped the tear from her eyes.

Karen laughed at the memory. "She told him that he'd have to find her when he was a little older, and he promised he'd find her."

The two were interrupted as well as everyone else when a man in that historical lab coat walked into the room.

"I'm looking for a Mrs. Karen Rowe…"

Karen felt her heart thunder within her chest and her mouth went dry. "That's me," she croaked.

* * *

TBC... 


End file.
